


Stars

by bumblelily



Category: Free!
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, Other, Star Child AU, Stars, galaxy, reigisa - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-29
Updated: 2015-01-05
Packaged: 2018-03-04 02:40:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2906156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bumblelily/pseuds/bumblelily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rei Ryugazaki didn’t believe in legends or fairy tales of sorts. But one day he meets Nagisa Hazuki, a boy who claims to be a fallen star and his soulmate. And although Rei doesn’t want to believe what he’s hearing, he finds himself transfixed and amazed by this stranger and the strange antics that occur when the two of them are together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

Rei Ryugazaki believed that there was no such thing as magic.

He was a science lover to say the least, a fan of the practical and realistic. He didn’t have time to waste on fairy tales and make believe. He would marvel at the world’s beauty, because that was the only thing that truly mystified him so much. As a child his parents would take him on little trips to different places, teaching him how certain things came to be and why it was so important to ensure that he was grateful for the life that he had. And he was. And now Rei was a grown young man of seventeen years, and still had a burning passion for the beauty of everything.

‘Hey, did you hear; apparently, there’s gonna be a star shower tonight!’ Squealed a girl at the end of the class, after a good two hours spent doing a practice assignment, with Rei sat near the centre of the class. The girls weren’t too far from Rei, but he couldn’t help but wish to himself that they chose to be a little bit quieter.

‘Don’t you mean a meteor shower?’ Asked the girl’s friend, her hair in a neatly kept ponytail, dark red and eyes the same shade.

‘No, you heard me! They say that this only happens every thousand years, so we should count ourselves lucky!’ Piped the other girl, her pale orange messy bun somehow in one shape, pale blue eyes gleaming brightly at her friend.

‘That sounds like a prank.’

‘Look, I got the information from the internet. Ninety-six per cent of their stuff is real.’ Grinned the girl with her bun. Rei couldn’t help but roll his eyes

‘Like that weird legend you were telling me about?’ Asked the girl with the ponytail. The girl with the messy bun on her head gasped suddenly as Rei made to stand up in his seat.

‘Oh my god, I didn’t even realise that they’re connected!’ Squealed the girl as her hand flung into the back of Rei’s head. He flinched slightly as he felt a slight stinging pain in his head, rubbing the spot gingerly where the girl swung surprisingly hard.

‘Chigusa! Honestly, you could kill someone like that.’ Nagged the girl with the ponytail. Chigusa let out an awkward chuckle.

‘Eh, sorry about that, Ryugazaki. Didn’t see you there.’ She added. Rei simply shrugged his shoulders at her. The girl with the ponytail shook her head at her friend. He knew the girls relatively well, being stuck in the same class as them for two years in a row, but he had grown used to their odd conversations by that point.

‘You need to be more aware of your surroundings.’ Sighed the girl in defeat. Chigusa looked offended.

‘Says you, Gou! The one who gawps at the guys sport teams when they flex their muscles.’ Pointed out Chigusa in a matter of fact tone. Gou scowled at her, pointing a finger at her dangerously.

‘First of all, it’s _Kou_. Second, I do no _gawp_.’ Snapped Gou.

‘I’ll leave the two of you alone.’ Said Rei cautiously, as he packed his backpack and swung it over his shoulder and quickly headed towards the door.

‘Hey, Ryugazaki!’ cried Chigusa.

‘Yes?’ asked Rei.

‘During tonight’s star shower make sure you catch one!’ Demanded Chigusa. Rei couldn’t help but softly laugh at her naïve stupidity as well as her overgrown innocence. He didn’t believe in the probability of the impossible. But he nodded at her nonetheless as he left the class.

‘Of course.’ He called out to the two of them. Chigusa looked at Gou, a mildly smug impression on her face.

‘What?’ She asked. Gou rolled her eyes at her with a faint smile on her face.

‘What was this legend again?’ asked Gou in defeat. Chigusa’s eyes glowed at her with the upmost joy.

‘Apparently from what I’ve heard, if you catch a star during a star shower, you get to live with your soul mate, but I’m pretty sure there’s more to it. It’s really rare though when it happens.’ Groaned Chigusa, as the two of them left the classroom and closed the door behind them.

‘Because the legend isn’t _real_.’ Gou sighed.

* * *

Rei watched from his bedroom the window as the sky grew darker from his desk, finishing his studying for the night, dressed in black pyjamas with a lilac hem and dotted with butterflies. His room was the right size and well organised, with books neatly stacked on his desk and his bed covers without a crease in them, his clothes hung up on his wardrobe in a professional manner. It was a room he was proud of, to say the least. But he watched the sky for a moment, his desk light omitting a soothing light that washed over him. He couldn’t help but stare as the stars slowly came into view, one by one with every blink that drew him to the window. But there was one star that shone particularly brighter than the others.

‘Goodnight, Rei.’ Whispered his mother from his bedroom. Rei blinked himself out of his apparent daze and smiled at his mother.

‘Goodnight, mom.’ He said in return, as his mother smiled back at him and closed the door whilst he turned off his desk lamp. He turned to the window and saw that the star that had drawn his attention was now gone. He couldn’t help but feel a slight twinge in his gut. But he closed his curtains slowly, and with that made his way to his bed, placed his glasses by his bedside table and laid underneath the bed covers, and the minute his head rested on the pillow he found himself drifting off to sleep.

That night, Rei found himself having a rather odd dream. In his dream he was walking in the dark, and for a moment he thought that he was alone. But there was a glow that was by his left, and when he looked he saw someone walking with him, humming to themselves as though they were alone in the dark.

The person was a boy who looked his age, hair the colour of summer and a smile to match. His eyes were closed as though he was sleeping, but Rei saw that his eyelashes glittered. The boy was wearing all white trimmed with gold that glistened in the glow that he was emitting from himself. Rei felt his heart race and his voice catch itself in his throat, and for some reason he didn’t know why. But he swallowed hard and took a deep breath.

‘Excuse me.’ Said Rei in a rather timid voice. The boy stopped humming and opened his eyes, looking in Rei’s violet eyes. Rei had to stop his mouth from opening in awe. The boy’s eyes were a glowing white, with swirls of pale pinks and blues, silver specks scattered. The boy smiled at Rei and laughed.

‘Hello.’ Said the boy in a pleasant tone. Rei felt his cheeks grow hot suddenly and cleared his throat.

‘Where are we going?’ He asked.

‘I can’t say, I’m afraid.’ Replied the boy. Rei frowned at him.

‘Why not?’ He asked. The boy turned his head away, a sheepish grin on his face.

‘I don’t know where we are.’ The boy said admittedly. Rei sighed heavily. _Of course_ , he thought, _this is my subconscious. If I don’t know where I am, then this person won’t know either_.

‘At least this is a dream.’ Sighed Rei in relief. The boy frowned at him this time.

‘Not it’s not.’ The boy said, glowing a little bit brighter. Rei scoffed lightly at him.

‘I’m pretty confident that this is a dream.’ He stated. The boy looked at him, a confused expression on his face and his head titled. But then he smiled and stopped in his tracks, with Rei suddenly stopping with him.

‘Alright then.’ Said the boy softly, reaching for his trouser pocket. He pulled out a small pin, a glittering gold butterfly, and pinned it to Rei’s pyjama shirt. Rei made to stop him, but for some reason he felt that it would be wrong to stop the boy, and merely watched what he was doing. When the boy was finished he took a step back, a satisfied expression on his face. Rei stared at him warily.

‘What are you doing?’ He asked, gently stroking the pin.

‘Proving a point.’ Replied the boy, suddenly taking a step towards Rei. He stared into Rei’s eyes long and hard, and Rei felt himself transfixed by his gaze, taking note of the swirls in the boy’s eyes, as though his eyes were the homes to the stars that he saw in the sky that night. And then the boy kissed Rei’s cheek ever so gently, and Rei felt his body tense and his face grow hot. The boy giggled softly.

‘See you soon, Rei.’ Sighed the boy. Rei frowned, and then his eyes widened in realisation.

But when he opened to ask the boy how he knew his name, he found himself in his own bed as his alarm beeped at him continuously, his dark blue hair wild and unkempt. Rei blinked himself away and rubbed his eyes heavily, the dream that he experienced a strange one at that. He went to stretch when he heard a gentle thud on his bed. His eyes followed the sound. Rei froze in his bed.

A single golden butterfly laid before him.


	2. Two

Nagisa Hazuki was first, and foremost, a very unlucky star that had fallen.

When Nagisa woke up he didn’t really know where he was. He found himself on top of a hill, lying on his back with his arms and legs stretched out, short of breath and staring at the sky as dawn came upon him, head slightly spinning. His white clothes had been dirtied by the impact of the fall, but it wasn’t that he cared about the dirt or anything. His summer locks were paler than usual, and when he opened his eyes, they were a startling shade of pink.

Nagisa slowly stood up, ensuring that no bones were broken. He knew that he was on Earth, but not particularly where about on Earth. He took in his surroundings, and found himself amazed as he stared at the ocean that was so far away from him, the wind gently ruffling his hair and brushing the loose dirt clinging onto him. Nagisa felt his chest swell with a warm sensation, walking towards the metal bars that was before him and leaning against them cautiously. He reached for his pocket and patted the insides, feeling nothing at all whatsoever. Nagisa smiled to himself.

He then turned his head and saw steps that led a long way down, so he decided to walk down them. He hummed to himself as he walked, taking in the sight of the sun as it was just dominating the sky. Nagisa laughed softly. It was nice to be able to see the sun in its true glory instead of being stuck with the company to the moon. Nagisa stop halfway his walk, suddenly confused as to how he could actually be seeing the sun. He remembered being with his family, as they laughed with each other light heartedly, watching Earth with slight curiosity. But then, Nagisa remembered, he felt his head spin, and how his family had drifted from his sight.

And now he was on Earth.

Nagisa rubbed his head as a sudden pain stung it out of the blue, continuing his descent until he reached the bottom of the steps. He saw in front of him a long dark grey path that looked solid enough to walk on, split directly in half with white dashes. Nagisa saw tall metal beams with glass orbs contained in them at the very top. Nagisa stared in awe at his surroundings as he walked, not realising that he was walking into the road, taking in the human world as much as he could. He loved how advanced the world was, the human lives that had grown on this planet was more than fascinating.

But when Nagisa felt himself being lifted off of his feet and land on the road again within the space of five seconds, his body in pain, he couldn’t help but wish that humans weren’t smart enough to create things with wheels that could drive far too fast for their own good. After a second the pain Nagisa felt vanished, seeing that stars were nearly indestructible no matter what form they were in. He sat up as a man ran towards him, dark blue hair that almost seemed black and dressed in a grey suit, a panicked and distraught expression on his face.

‘A-Are you alright?!’ cried the man frightfully, crouching beside him. Nagisa frowned slight at the man who seemed to be worried about him.

‘Why shouldn’t I be?’ asked Nagisa, rubbing the back of his head in a nonchalant manner. The man widened his eyes at him.

‘Son, I just hit you with my _CAR._ ’ Exclaimed the man, pointing to the things with wheels that was behind him, the front of it severely dented. Nagisa glanced over the man’s shoulder. So that was what those things were called.

‘I’ll be fine.’ smiled Nagisa, bouncing to his feet suddenly and brushing the sudden addition of dirt that was on him. The man stared at him, looked mildly mortified but intrigued.

‘Y-You shouldn’t be doing that at all!’ He gabbled, standing quickly and stopping Nagisa from walking away. Nagisa looked at him, and found himself oddly drawn to violet eyes that looked like his beloved owns. Surely, he couldn’t have found him so easily.

‘… Are you alright, son?’ The man asked, patting Nagisa’s shoulder lightly. Nagisa blinked himself out of his daze, pulling himself together. His beloved had the same eyes, yes, but his hair was a more vibrant blue, and his eyes were kept behind red frames. Nagisa smiled at the man.

‘I’m just fine.’ He giggled. He bowed his head at him silently, and then turned and walked across the road, leaving the man standing in the road with a shocked expression, stunned as the sun shone upon him and the wind whistling in both of their ears.

* * *

Rei couldn’t help but be mildly distracted by the gold butterfly pin that he had stuck on the lapel of his blazer, twiddling with it gently, not really taking in what the teacher was saying to him. Looking at the pin closely, Rei saw the thing as a work of art; solid gold, with the wings gently shimmering with flakes of amethyst. He stroked it gently as the boy from his dream came to mind, his glowing white eyes and his golden hair, the gentle touch of the boy’s lips to his cheeks, the soft humming that drifted through his mind.

Rei felt his cheeks and ears grow hot as he thought of the boy, and for some reason he didn’t know why. A while later the class ended and the day was over, with Rei slowly standing in his seat and packing his back just as slow.

‘Come on, Gou, let’s get out of here! I wanna try finding a star!’ proclaimed Chigusa, as Rei looked up to see her and Gou still in the room, despite the obvious rush of others trying to leave.

‘It’s KOU. What is it with this star thing, anyway?’ asked Gou with a slight whine.

‘I’ve _told_ you, once you find a star, you find your soulmate! Imagine seeing someone looking like an _angel_ and they say that they’re meant to be with _you_!’

‘Honestly, Chigusa, you can be pretty hopeless sometimes.’ Gou sighed.

‘It’s _true_! They come to you in a dream and give you a cute little token so you know you’ll see them!’ snapped Chigusa stubbornly.

Rei had to stop himself from being shocked, and although his body language was calm, his eyes were a different matter, as his hand subconsciously touched the gold butterfly. His brain was working overload. He remembered the boy giving him the broach, and how he would _“see him soon_.” The boy knew Rei’s name even though they had just met in the dream. But it was merely coincidence, of course it was. The pin must have been Rei’s since he was young, and the boy was nothing more than just a phantom at most.

It was the only logical solution.

He left the classroom quickly, and for some reason he could feel someone’s eyes staring at the back of his head. But he made his way to the train station in silence, and was unfortunate enough to miss it. He waited outside, the dark growing dark suddenly even though it was still relatively early. He boarded the next train close to home, sat in an empty seat and watched the scenery fly by him as the sky was suddenly dark.

When Rei got off the train he walked down the street to his home, and when it came into his line of sight, he felt oddly relieved. He couldn’t see either of his parent’s cars outside the home and assumed that they were still doing their usual activities, walking towards the gate and opening it.

But Rei froze as he placed closed the gate behind him and turned around, eyes wide and cheeks suddenly flustered and heart racing. Sat by the front door of his home was a boy with golden hair and dressed in white, his eyes closed and softly humming to himself whilst tapping his foot. Rei had heard that voice before, seen those gold curls from a distant dream. The boy opened his eyes suddenly, startling pink that had a slight glow to them. He looked up at Rei and his eyes widened in surprise, then were filled with joy as he jumped up from where he was sat and rushed towards Rei.

‘Rei!’ The boy exclaimed happily, wrapping his arms around Rei’s waist. Rei was taken aback, wanting to scream and ask the boy who he was and why on earth he was following him. But Rei felt his heart sore at the touch, and found himself simply standing there and staring down at the boy in front of him. As though the embrace he was feeling was as ordinary as his life.


End file.
